First Time for Everything
by xwingday
Summary: This is a short moment in time between teacher and student. Part of a contest on DN writers Faction forum. Please read, review and check out the forum. Starring D and N.


**Author's Note: **This isn't set at a specific point, so picture it anytime you'd like. (Though it'd probably come before Emperor Mage, definitely before RotG)

_This "work" is part of a writing prompt competition so please drop by the DN writer's Faction (.net/forum/The_DN_Writers_Faction/58994/) to drop a vote or check out fan fiction entries by others for this prompt. Prompt and story list can be found at (.net/topic/58994/19955161/1/) and you'll need to place the ff net address before the link addresses because ff net wont let me post the normal._

**First Time for Everything:**

**By: xwingday**

Numair Samalin had started this day feeling very much the confident mage he was regarded to be. After breakfast he'd spent time with a few other mages discussing some theory or other that now seemed to escape his mind. Now he stood under a large tree at the edge of the royal forest and paused. His dark eyes looked over the young woman, his student, where she'd been walking beside him. Her own stormy blue eyes had fallen to the toes of her boots as she stopped walking. He regarded her quietly, realizing that Veralidaine Sarrasri would not always be this young. Somehow the thought of her becoming an adult and verging off into the world slightly bothered him. The tall mage found himself wishing he could stop time, or even turn it backward and rewrite some parts of his young friend's history.

"Numair?" Her voice was shy as she spoke his name, her eyes darting up to regard him before returning to her boots. The mage took a deep breath and tried to bring his mind back to the question at hand.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking." Numair shifted on his feet, facing her and leaning back against the tree. Daine didn't seem to want to look up, instead she crouched to greet a squirrel that watched them from the safety of a bush. "What were you asking?"

"I need advice, about a boy." She repeated with out looking toward the man to her left. He folded his arms across his chest and gathered himself mentally for this conversation. "Well, not so much about him."

"That clears things up." Numair gave a warm smile when Daine's blue eyes shot an irritated glare his way. The Mage shook his head. "Let's start, magelet, with the problem."

"The problem?" She quirked an eyebrow at him and Numair waved a hand at thin air.

"Often people spend too much time worrying about an issue because they diagnose the wrong problem. Understanding the real problem is the first step." He explained in the same tone he often used when explaining a meditation technique.

"You're going to turn this into a lessen too, aren't you?" Daine finally turned, awkwardly as she was stilled crouching on the ground, to face her tall friend. With a sigh at the half amused look the man gave her she took a moment to think, asking herself what the reason was that any of this bothered her. "I like him, a bit."

"And that bothers you?" Numair asked and received a shake of her head in answer. He waited as she seemed to think carefully over something.

"It isn't that he's the problem." She said slowly after a long moment, than grimaced. She shook her head just as a look of comprehension seemed to wash across her face. As she stood she shook her head again. "Forget I asked, it's not really worth it."

Numair stood straight and gently caught her by the shoulders so that she'd look up at him. He gazed at her very carefully as she turned a bit red under the scrutiny. They'd been working together just long enough the mage was sure she'd found her problem. They silently regarded each other for a long moment before Numair spoke.

"Daine, you know you can talk to me about anything. Don't you?" He watched her nod silently and her eyes drifted from his back to her boots again. He used a finger to tilt her chin up, looking at her inquisitively. "What is the problem?"

"I've no experience." She said haltingly and Numair just stopped for a time. He thought that statement out carefully, he'd known Daine was young and had never assumed anything of her, but it was still a bit of a surprising comment.

"Well, I could explain things to you if you'd like." Numair slowly offered as he removed his hands from his young student and rubbed at his suddenly tense neck. He didn't take well to the thought of Daine thinking of taking anyone to her bed, but it was far better to be informed than it was to going into such a thing blindly. Slowly Numair cleared his throat, causing Daine to eye him a bit oddly as he started speaking again. "You see when a man and a woman . . . When two people have strong feelings. . ."

"Numair?" Daine interrupted his sentence as a smile started to break across her face slowly. He met her eyes and quirked an eyebrow at her again.

"Yes."

"Are you trying to explain to me where babies come from?" Her voice was filled with barely contained laugher when she asked this and he felt his own grin starting to spread across his face.

"That isn't what we're discussing?" He asked and watched her shake her head as she started to laugh. Her laugh was so genuinely amused that it warmed his heart to hear it. She'd come a long way, he decided, since she'd joined Onua on the way to Corus.

"You must've forget my ma was the town's midwife all my life." She told him as she calmed down a bit. Her smile was bright and seemed to light up her eyes as she gave the tall mage a hug. "Thank you Numair, but I asked Ma about tha when I was very small. Ma didn't see any point beating around the bush about that."

"Then, my dear Wild Mage, what did you mean?" Numair enquired even as he returned the warm hug his student had offered. She turned her face into his shirt and muttered something he couldn't quite make out. He craned his neck slightly and eyed her again blushing face as best he could. "What was that?"

"I've never kissed anyone." Daine said a bit more clearly and Numair felt both his eyebrows jump toward his hairline.

"So, you are worried about kissing?" He asked just to ensure they were both finally on the same page. He felt her nod and he coughed slightly to cover his amusement. It didn't work and Daine slapped his chest as she pulled away from the tall man.

"Yer laughing at me!" She accused, clearly offended as he shook his head.

"No, no, Magelet." The tall man spoke through silent chuckles. "Of course not."

"I never shoulda said it." Daine muttered as she turned to stride away from the tall man. He caught up to her easily as she strode deeper into the forest.

"This is truly bothering you, isn't it?" Numair asked as their pace slowed a little. She nodded and didn't look at him as they walked on. He slipped his hands into his pockets and thought about things slowly. "Honestly, when it comes time you will find it's a lot simpler than you think."

"So, then you've ne'er had a bad kiss?" She asked and her eyes shifted to look at him in a sidelong manner. The mage's initial pause was enough to answer that question right away. "You see?"

"A kiss is a sign of affection Daine, the bad ones are forced." Numair wasn't even sure of the validity of his own statements now, but for the moment he plowed on. "Perhaps you should talk to Onua about this."

"Oh no, I'm not going to embarrass myself again." Daine shook her head adamantly and stopped. She turned to face the mage as he stopped beside her. "She'd not let on in front of me, and she cares, but she an' Alanna'd have a right fair laugh about it later."

"It really isn't that hard."

"Then explain it to me, master mage." She said as she faced him with her hands on her hips. He didn't speak as he thought it over again.

"I'm really not the best person for this." He muttered mostly to himself before leaning down look at her a little more closely. She met his eyes curiously and he shook his head. "There is only one method I can think of to explain a kiss."

"Let's see it then." Daine watched as Numair took a deep breath.

"Are you sure?"

"Whatever it is, Numair just go ahead."

Numair shook his head and Daine was almost certain he was going to drop the subject. Instead he caught her chin lightly and brought his face very close to her own. Daine's breath caught as she realized what Numair meant by one method. He didn't close the distance however, merely regarding her from so close she could feel his breath on her lips. At that moment she decided she could certainly see what all those court beauties saw in his dark eyes. Her stormy blue eyes drifted shut as she felt the lightest of pressure on her lips. The kiss, feature light, was over a few heart beats after it began. The Mage dropped a second kiss on her forehead in a caring manner before speaking in a low whisper.

"Now, perhaps you should leave your humble servant and go find this young man who has caught your eye." He suggested this lightly.

"But our lesson. . ." Daine felt a finger press to her lips and opened her eyes to meet his again.

"You are distracted, so much so that I doubt we will get much done. Go, we'll have a lesson tomorrow." He spoke in a kind, warm tone that relaxed Daine's worries for the moment. She nodded and said goodbye to her teacher for the afternoon.

Once she was gone Numair leaned against the nearest tree and scrubbed his face with his hands. So in the morning Numair Samalin was the confident, mostly professional black robe mage. By late afternoon he was just a man standing in the woods to hide his own confusion. He was certain that he was not supposed to enjoy the chaste kiss he'd given his student. No, he was certainly not supposed to enjoy it and he was not supposed to be jealous of the young man she'd gone to see.


End file.
